The Unknown
by Spirit of Roses
Summary: Takes place during Grilled Cheesus: Overwhelmed with grief, Kurt takes in the possibility that his father might die. Carole shares her fear with him, letting him know that he's not alone.


**The Unknown**

It has been a few days since Kurt's dad had been checked into the hospital. A few days that felt more like centuries. It was too long to be without his father, who he was used to having around. Kurt meandered his house from day-to-day once he arrived home. Memories would flash into his mind; of how he came down the stairs one day dressed in drag. His father almost spit out his drink in horror. Kurt gave a weak chuckle at the memory. He had many memories of family game nights with and without the Hudsons. They were always fun nights full of mirth.

What if he couldn't have another night like that again?

Kurt closed his eyes, trying to shut out the thought. It was like he was giving up already. No, he couldn't give up on his father or jinx anything. His father was going to be all right. He was a fighter. Kurt felt ashamed for ever thinking that his dad might not come out of the hospital alive.

But what if he didn't make it? What would he do then?

Tears welled up in his eyes, and his chest restricted with such heartache. Kurt put a hand over his mouth as he released his first sob. It was like all he could do was cry and wait. It was a matter of life or death that he had to wait to see the results for. This might've been what it was like for those headed for the guillotine. They knew what was coming, but they didn't have enough time to prep themselves. No, no amount of time could possibly prepare anyone for death.

Kurt held onto the counter with a hand as he began to cry, his shoulders heaving. He cried for so many reasons. There was the fear, the depression, and the remorse. The remorse that came with his refusing to participate in the Friday night dinners that were tradition. The very dinners that his beloved, deceased mother made a tradition. Somewhere she must be shaking her head in disappointment. I've gotta tell you, Kurt, I'm real disappointed in you. Those words echoed in his head over and over again.

"Why couldn't you just get over yourself, and do the damn dinner?" He asked himself. "Why'd you let some petty feelings stop you? Why'd you have to disappoint the one man whose always been there for you?" He berated himself. He was foolish for letting their differences get in between their relationship. He was foolish for not monitoring his father's health better than he should have.

All of this was his fault.

Kurt slammed his fist onto the counter, the side of his pinky hurting from the blow. He winced, but this was nothing compared to what his father went through. Kurt sunk to his knees, a hand to his mouth. His dad must've been so scared, collapsing onto the cold floor of his mechanics shop, not being able to move, not being able to breathe.

And he hadn't been there to catch him when he fell.

Kurt wouldn't be able to tell him how sorry he was for blowing off Friday night dinners or how much he loved his father; how much he truly loved him, and what his father meant to him.

Kurt wracked his brain for an answer, any answer as to how to get his father to wake up. He had hired a sic, and so far she wasn't making any difference. Every night since then, he's done more research on the condition, and he found no definite answer. However, he had discovered something that might help. A medical website had said that talking to a person whose in a coma encouraged that person to hang on. That of which Kurt had been doing for the past few days. He told dad everything, every boring little detail of his life that he hadn't told him before the heart attack from sales at the mall, what he got on a test, what he saw on TV, and the memories that haunted his brain for what seemed like forever.

Even when he was talking, Kurt didn't see any difference in his father's condition.

Everything was hopeless.

He was helpless.

The sound of the door opening startled him. He shot to his feet, and wiped his tears. From time to time, Carole and Finn would stop by to check up on him. He thought it to be stupid. He wasn't the one in a hospital bed, who had a serious heart attack. His dad was. He was the one who needed to be checked on, not him.

Surely enough, Carole had entered the kitchen. "Oh, Kurt…" She was giving him that look. Kurt frowned, and averted his eyes. He loathed that look. "Honey," she murmured, and came closer to him.

Kurt inched away. "What are you doing here?" He couldn't believe how unlike himself he sounded. He sounded like some drone.

"I came to see how you were doing." Carole replied, her voice soft and caring. She was about to put a hand on Kurt's shoulder, but he moved away once more. He didn't want to be touched. He didn't want to be comforted. Kurt didn't deserve it.

"Oh, yeah, I'm doing just well, Carole. Thanks for asking." Who was this mean person? Kurt didn't understand it at all. He was usually so nice to Carole. He loved her to death. She didn't do anything to deserve his attitude.

"Kurt," Carole began, insisting for physical contact. She put a hand onto Kurt's shoulder. He tensed in reply, and his eyes watered once more. Kurt hid them with his hand. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. "I know this is hard for you. I…" She trailed off, and Kurt heard a sniffle. His eyes snapped open, and he looked up to see that she was choking up too.

"Carole," Kurt murmured. He felt ashamed for snapping at her.

"I'm really scared, too, Kurt." Carole wept. "Your dad…I love him so much, and I don't ever want to lose him. The last thing I want is to lose the man I love again."

That's when Kurt remembered. He recalled of how Finn spoke of his mother sometimes, and how much she missed her husband. Kurt emphasized. He knew how painful it was to lose someone dear. It felt like the end of the world.

Kurt hugged her, and held her tight. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He apologized, more tears pooling down his face.

Carole engulfed him in a warm embrace that reeked of a soft-smelling perfume. "It's all right, baby. We'll make it through this." She reassured him, rubbing his back.

The hug provided a temporary relief. The weight of this possible loss wasn't just weighing on Kurt's shoulders. It was weighing down on Carole's too. It was nice to know that someone understood his feelings.

The door sounded once more. Footsteps were heard, and so was the crumpling of some bags. Carole and Kurt disengaged from their hug to face Finn, who was carrying in groceries.

"Hey," Finn greeted. "We got some groceries for dinner."

Kurt broke out into a smile as Finn set the bags onto the counter. He ducked his head, and wiped some tears away. "Thank you." He softly said.

"Dude," Finn noticed that Kurt was tearing up again. It was like he couldn't stop crying, no matter how hard he tried. Finn sauntered over to Kurt, and hugged him. "You're gonna be ok. We're here for you, all right?"

That only made Kurt cry more.

The unknown was a scary place to be headed. But Kurt found that it was a lot easier to travel with people by his side.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I was watching Grilled Cheesus the other day, and thought this would do nicely as a cut scene. I highly doubt Carole and Finn would be the types to leave Kurt all alone in his house. Hope you all enjoyed, and thank you for reading! Please let me know what you thought of it.


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